There was a time, 20-somethings, when the Internet didn’t exist and video games were comprised of .033 megapixels, leaving our video games looking archaic to your modern tastes. Those of us 30-40 remember when a poster of Michael Jordan dunking from the foul line was the perfect Christmas gift from grandma. We remember a time when a Nerf door basketball hoop was the greatest invention known to man. There were even some of us who had the football Cabbage Patch doll. (Not me.) Mass production of Cabbage Patch dolls would start in 1982 and peak with parents fighting over them at Toys ‘R Us. We remember many Christmas Eves in the 1980s, wondering if mom and dad had scored Tecmo Bowl and/or Double Dribble. Those were simpler times, when worrying about which accessories grandma would get for the iPhone 5 seemed so futuristic. FULLSCREENSofia Vergara Gets Busty On SetRedheads Are Bad For Productivity7 Awesome Holiday Party Movie ScenesSexy Girls In Tight DressesEvery NFL Team's Biggest Struggle FaceNew Nina Agdal Bikini HotnessThe Sexiest Photo Shoots of 2012Sexiest Photos of Gracie CarvalhoHOTLINKS20 Best Sports Christmas Gifts Of The 1980sofvar cmgGallery = {'info': '20 Best Sports Christmas Gifts Of The 1980s','galid': '200224','photos': [{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/80s-christmas-gifts-lead.jpg","imagewidth":"600","imageheight":"350","imagetitle":"80s-christmas-gifts-lead","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":""},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-double-dribble.jpg","imagewidth":"640","imageheight":"480","imagetitle":"Double Dribble","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 3 gift. Sure, you wanted it badly, but it wasn't exactly a grand finale type gift. "},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-mike-tyson-punch-out.png","imagewidth":"500","imageheight":"437","imagetitle":"Mike Tyson Punch-Out","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 3 gift. Again, not a grand finale, but you wanted Punch-Out. Parents had you open this before the Nintendo game system finale combo gift for you & your brother."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-bubble-hockey.jpg","imagewidth":"573","imageheight":"586","imagetitle":"Bubble Hockey","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Grand finale gift. Huge box. Dad might of pulled it in from the garage at the end of Christmas morning. Memory maker."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-nba-jersey.jpg","imagewidth":"350","imageheight":"350","imagetitle":"1980s NBA Jersey","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 4 gift. The NBA was exploding and you needed a jersey for games against the neighborhood. In Denver, you went Alex English."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-electric-football.jpg","imagewidth":"555","imageheight":"356","imagetitle":"Electric Football","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 2 gift. Electric football was the kind of gift that wetted your appetite for the BMX bike finale. It would hold you over on rainy days."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-tiger-electronic-handheld-baseball.jpg","imagewidth":"702","imageheight":"564","imagetitle":"Tiger Electronic Handheld Baseball","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 1 gift. Mom would've suggested you open this time waster early to get the festivities rolling."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-wwf-rubber-wrestlers-ring.jpeg","imagewidth":"800","imageheight":"600","imagetitle":"1980s Hasbro WWF Rubber Wrestlers & Ring","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 4 gift. Mom and dad might of made this a grand finale gift - if you lived in Kentucky. Cool parents wrapped all the wrestler packages individually. Made the Christmas haul look more impressive."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-pogo-ball.jpg","imagewidth":"547","imageheight":"550","imagetitle":"Pogo Ball","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 2 gift. This is the level of gift where you don't really want it, but there's a cool level of danger. Mom thought it was a good idea. "},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-nerf-football.jpg","imagewidth":"500","imageheight":"500","imagetitle":"Nerf Wall Basketball","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 3 gift. Need I say more?"},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-tecmo-bowl.jpg","imagewidth":"865","imageheight":"702","imagetitle":"Tecmo Bowl","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Grand finale gift. Your parents battled other grown adults for Tecmo. Your dad might've even used his connections in the toy industry to land a copy. You played it for two years straight."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-fooball-cabbage-patch-doll.jpg","imagewidth":"570","imageheight":"428","imagetitle":"Fooball Cabbage Patch Doll","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 4 gift. Don't act like this isn't a Level 4. It was just a notch below BMX bike. "},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-bmx-bicycle.jpg","imagewidth":"400","imageheight":"300","imagetitle":"1980s BMX Bicycle","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Grand finale gift. Your dad just threw a bow on it and pulled it in from the garage. All other gifts were forgotten. This was about freedom. "},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-football-stickers.jpg","imagewidth":"400","imageheight":"302","imagetitle":"Football Stickers","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 1 gifts. Stocking stuffer material, but these mattered. You traded with friends until you filled a magazine."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-koosh-ball.jpg","imagewidth":"360","imageheight":"360","imagetitle":"Koosh Ball","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 1 gift. Again, why did we think these were cool?"},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-laser-tag.jpg","imagewidth":"400","imageheight":"551","imagetitle":"Laser Tag","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Grand finale gift. You put on the helmet and started sending laser beams around the house. Your sister was off building Barbie fantasy worlds & you were laser beaming the dog. "},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-wall-posters.jpg","imagewidth":"450","imageheight":"677","imagetitle":"Sports Wall Posters","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Level 2 gift. The posters could sneak to a Level 3 depending on how many mom bought for you. Of course you still had them well into the college years."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-satin-nba-starter-jacket.jpg","imagewidth":"1024","imageheight":"768","imagetitle":"Satin NBA Starter Jacket","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":"Grand finale gift. Satin. Starter. 1980s. You put on that jacket and felt instant pride. Christmas with a satin Starter was a complete Christmas."},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1989-griffey-upper-deck-rookie-card.jpg","imagewidth":"499","imageheight":"702","imagetitle":"1989 Griffey Upper Deck Rookie Card","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":""},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-nintendo-power-pad.jpg","imagewidth":"1024","imageheight":"768","imagetitle":"Nintendo Power Pad","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":""},{"imageurl":"http:\/\/coedbc.files.wordpress.com\/2012\/12\/1980s-starting-lineups.jpg","imagewidth":"500","imageheight":"500","imagetitle":"Starting Lineups","imagecredit":"","imagedesc":""}]}; Christmas Gift Level Guide: Level 1: Small boxes, usually looked like you were about to get shirts and socks. Level 2: Interesting wrapping; bigger boxes; odd shapes Level 3: Mom and dad held back these gifts until the Polaroid was ready to go Level 4: Top-of-the-Christmas-list items; usually electronics Grand Finale: Dad had this gift stored at a buddies house; your parents took out a small loan Filed under: Features, Lead Marquee

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